


remember those walls i built (well baby they're tumbling down)

by PrioritiesSorted



Series: Kyalin Week 2020 [3]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, College-Typical Alcohol Overindulgence, F/F, Fluff, Romance, Substance Abuse, Toph/Aang - Freeform, but I still recommend reading it, check please! au, excessive amounts of tea, you don't have to know what Check Please! is to read this, zuko/katara - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:14:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27551347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrioritiesSorted/pseuds/PrioritiesSorted
Summary: “You don’t know who Toph Beifong is?” Korra asked quietly, as if addressing someone vaguely senile. “Toph Beifong who literally invented this sport? Toph Beifong the twelve time pro-bending champion? That Toph Beifong?”Kya shrugged,“I never really followed pro-bending. I joined the team because I thought it sounded fun.” Perhaps that wasn’t entirely true, but nor was it something Kya felt like getting into on her first day.“Okay. I’m going to tell you some stuff, but it is only because I don’t want you finding out from a sleazy tabloid, or saying the wrong thing to Lin and getting yourself punched.”A Check Please! AU
Relationships: Lin Beifong/Kya II
Series: Kyalin Week 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2009128
Comments: 20
Kudos: 140
Collections: KyaLin Week 2020





	remember those walls i built (well baby they're tumbling down)

**Author's Note:**

> KyaLin Week Day Five: Bending 
> 
> cw: mention of past overdose on prescription medication, alcohol, mention of racially motivated assault
> 
> Look, I saw a post that said Toph should have been the inventor of pro-bending instead of a cop and I was like "amazing". 
> 
> Then I was like "Lin Beifong is Jack Zimmerman". 
> 
> Then today I wrote 6k+ of fic in a frantic haze, and here we are. 
> 
> It's worth noting that in this version of events, The Gaang kids and the Krew are the same age, also Wu is an earthbender. It's weird, I know, just roll with it. I'm very tired and it's definitely still Friday in America. I checked.

**Gyokuro: for a good first impression**

“Make sure you write every week,” Katara called back over her shoulder. “And don’t forget I left the extra blanket on the top shelf of the closet if you get cold!” 

“Bye, Mom.” Kya said, pointedly. The girl who’d shown them around—Korra, her name was Korra—put a supportive arm around Kya’s shoulders, 

“Don’t worry, Mrs Kya’s Mom! We’ll take good care of her,” she shouted, waving after Kya’s parents as they disappeared into the distance. As soon as they were out of earshot, Korra turned to Kya. 

“Welcome to RCU’s finest pro-bending establishment, Kya. I _cannot_ wait for you to meet everyone.” The girl’s energy was infectious, and despite her nerves, Kya couldn’t help returning her smile. 

“Me neither!” If she was being honest, Kya hadn’t imagined when she’d applied that joining Republic City’s pro-bending team would mean _living_ with said team. She wondered out loud whether the same was true for all the sports teams. 

“Oh, no. It never used to be the case for the pro benders either.” Korra told her with a wry chuckle. “But then Lin became Captain, and the girl might be brilliant, but she’s an absolute drill sergeant. She insisted that we all be in the same house so that she could get us up for practice at the crack of dawn. You can look forward to that.” 

Kya shrugged, 

“Not a problem. I’m used to getting up early anyway; my Dad’s always up with the sun and I like to meditate with him.”

“Oh man, I _hate_ meditating.” Korra sighed dramatically, as she led the way back into the house. “But your Dad seems cool—were’d he get that _scar?”_

“You’ll have to ask him that yourself,” Kya said, and Korra’s eyebrows shot up. 

“No _thank you,_ ” she said, and Kya tried to hide a smile. She forgot, sometimes, that people found her Dad intimidating. They’d never seen him cradle a turtleduckling in the palms of his hands, and talk to it like a baby.“Okay, I’ll leave you to get unpacked and we’ll see you downstairs in like… an hour or so?” 

“Sounds great.” 

Kya’s room felt oddly empty when Korra closed the door behind her, and Kya sat heavily on the bed. It wasn’t as soft as her own bed, but it would do. She stared around her for a few moments, taking in her new surroundings; this would be her home for the foreseeable future, but now it still felt a little strange. Perhaps it was because she hadn’t finished unpacking; Kya pulled a bag towards her and undid the fastenings, opening it to reveal—a package with her name on it. 

It was her Uncle Iroh’s handwriting, and Kya ripped open the paper to find a delicate muslin bag inside. It smelled heavenly, and Kya opened it to find it was filled—of course—with tea. There was note as well, inked in her uncle’s familiar scrawl: 

_Kya,_

_A bag of my best Gyokuro, because first impressions are important._

_All my love,_

_Iroh_

Kya’s eyes filled with tears, but they were swiftly blinked away as she rose, clutching the bag of tea in her hand, and made her way down to the kitchen. There was no-one in there when she arrived, and Kya set to looking for a good size teapot. She eventually found one gathering dust on one of the higher shelves, and after a good scrub, it came out looking just about decent. 

As she heaved a large pot of water onto the stove—there were going to be ten of them, after all—Kya became aware that she was being watched. She turned to see a strikingly pretty girl, lounging against the doorframe of the kitchen. Tall and willowy, her back hair cascaded in waves down her back, and she smiled at Kya. 

“You must be one of the rookies,” she said, and Kya nodded. “Nice to meet you, I’m—” 

“ASAMI!” Korra came pelting down stairs and swept the other girl—Asami, apparently—up into a fierce hug. Kya giggled as she watched the girls coo over each other, happy to be reunited after a long summer break. It was a few minutes before Korra noticed her presence. 

“Kya! Have you met Asami? She’s our team manager, and Republic City’s resident It Girl.” Korra teased, and Asami shoved her playfully. 

No doubt hearing the commotion, the kitchen began to flood with people. Kya could could barely keep track of who was who—

“Hey! I’m Bolin, I’m new this year too! My brother—”

“—Mako. Hi. Uh… what are you cooking? Sorry about—”

“—Wu. Delightful to meet you, and don’t listen to anything Mako says about me, he’s lying. I’ll give you the grand tour of the campus, tell you who the cool kids are, who to avoid. Number one on that list being—”

“—Eska. Hello. You’re pretty. That’s unfortunate. Don’t cause any drama, okay? Last year—” 

“—she doesn’t need to _know_ about last year, Eska.” Bolin—no, Mako—said, blushing furiously. 

“We can’t date within the team,” explained a girl whose name Kya had already forgotten, a firebender. “Because last year, Mako flipped between dating Korra and Asami like he was changing his shoes, sometimes without a gap in between. It was hell.” 

“You say that as if it wasn’t worse for u—” Korra started to protest, but she was soon drowned out by everyone else. 

“It was definitely worse for everyone else,” Asami said, coming to lean on the counter next to Kya, who giggled as she turned off the heat beneath the now-boiling water. “What’s all this?” 

“I thought I’d make everyone some tea,” Kya explained. “My uncle gave me this.” She passed Asami the muslin bag, and Asami sniffed it appreciatively. 

“That’s the good stuff,” she confirmed. “I wouldn’t waste it on this lot, though. They’re practically feral.” 

As if to prove Asami right, a cacophony of noise erupted from the table, as another girl walked into the kitchen. Kya could tell she was well built even beneath the loose shirt and trousers she wore, and her black hair was twisted back in a way that Kya couldn’t quite figure out, but it framed the sharp lines of her face. Kya didn’t know if she would say the girl was _pretty,_ but she made something hot curl up inside Kya. 

“LIN!” Korra’s voice could be heard above the general din. “MY FAVOURITE DAUGHTER. I’VE MISSED YOU.” 

Lin seemed much less receptive to aggressive hugs than the rest of the team, because she batted Korra off after a few moments, and waved everyone else away. 

“Hey, hello, yep, hi everyone. Hope you all had good summers. The rookies settling in ok?” Kya and Bolin waved from their respective spots in the kitchen. Bolin looked as though he was trying very hard not to scream with excitement, as if Lin was some kind of celebrity. 

“I’m Bolin,” he squeaked out, and Lin nodded. 

“Hey Bolin. You’re Mako’s brother, right?” 

“Yes ma’am.” 

Lin didn’t reply, so Kya piped up, 

“I’m Kya, it’s great to meet you. I’m just making some tea for us all, would you like some?” 

“No thanks, I just came down to let everyone know that pre-season training starts tomorrow, six am sharp. So I’d recommend everyone gets an early night.” 

With that, she swept from the kitchen, leaving everyone else to stare after her. 

“Wow,” Kya said before she could stop herself. “What is _her_ deal?” 

A sudden hush fell over the room, and Kya had the sinking feeling she’d said something very wrong. 

“Ah, the time-honoured question” Korra said, breaking both the silence and the tension. “She’s not the fluffiest of mouserabbits, I’ll admit that, but don’t be too hard on her. Girl’s under hella pressure; she’s our Captain and this year is her last chance to win the championship. Plus she wants to go _real_ pro, so there’s gonna be scouts all over the place, and people comparing her to her Mom, and—yeah.” Korra looked at the water on the stove and frowned. “You know you could have just bent this to boiling, right?” 

“Yes, but my uncle says the tea tastes better this way. Who’s Lin’s Mom?” 

“Toph. Beifong,” Bolin whimpered, his eyes glistening with awe. 

“Right,” Kya said, slowly. “Who’s Toph Beifong?” 

“ _Who is Toph Beifong?_ ” Everyone in the room was looking at her as if she’d grown a second head. 

“You don’t know who Toph Beifong is?” Korra asked quietly, as if addressing someone vaguely senile. “Toph Beifong who literally invented this sport? Toph Beifong the twelve time pro-bending champion? That Toph Beifong?”

Kya shrugged, 

“I never really followed pro-bending. I joined the team because I thought it sounded fun.” Perhaps that wasn’t _entirely_ true, but nor was it something Kya felt like getting into on her first day. 

“Oh honey,” the firebending girl (whose name Kya _still_ couldn’t remember) said softly. 

Korra took a deep breath, bringing her hands up to massage her temples. 

“Okay. I’m going to tell you some stuff, but it is _only_ because I don’t want you finding out from a sleazy tabloid, or saying the wrong thing to Lin and getting yourself punched.” She sounded uncharacteristically serious, and Kya waited for her to continue. “Lin grew up with pro-bending. After Aang died, Toph really threw herself into it, and she took her kids with her. Obviously they would have been in the spotlight anyway because of Aang being the Avatar, but—” 

“Her Dad was _Avatar Aang?_ ” Kya had learned about Avatar Aang’s accomplishments in school, and she was pretty sure her parents had worked with him before they’d had her. Yet somehow, no-one had ever mentioned his—apparently equally famous—wife. Either that or Kya hadn’t been listening. On reflection that seemed more likely. 

“Oh, yeah,” Korra said. “He died when she was only a few months old, which is why she and I are nearly the same age. It’s kind of weird, but I try to look after her, y’know?” 

“What?” Kya asked, confused. 

“Oh, I’m the Avatar.” 

“JAR!” Several voices piped up from around the table. Korra raised her hands in protest, 

“Oh come on, that was conversation relevant!” 

“No it wasn’t.” Wu said, “you only had to say Lin’s Dad was Avatar Aang. The bit about you was superfluous.” 

“Not to agree with Wu,” added Mako, “but… I agree with Wu.”

Korra rolled her eyes, but pulled a silver piece from her pocket and dropped it into the empty jar that Eska was holding. 

“What’s going on?” Kya muttered to Asami. 

“Every time Korra mentions being the Avatar unnecessarily, we make her put a silver piece in the jar. At the end of the term we take the team out for dinner on the money.” 

“ _As I was saying._ ” Korra continued, pointedly. “Lin grew up a lot in the spotlight, and she was always kind of expected to carry on her Mom’s legacy. She did super well, too. She was a wonderkid, pipped to get signed to a pro-bending team right when she turned eighteen.” 

“So why is she here?” Kya asked, and Korra’s face darkened. 

“The pressure was… a lot. She started taking medication for anxiety when she was pretty young, and the night before she was due to sign her big contract, she took too much. Not on purpose, but—her brother Tenzin found her in the bathroom.” Korra paused, and Asami put a gentle hand on her shoulder. Kya hadn’t considered how painful this story must be for Korra, to imagine how close her friend must have been to death. After a couple of hushed seconds, Korra took another breath, and continued. “She made it out the other side, obviously. Went to rehab instead of signing, and decided to get her degree after that. She still wants to go pro, but I think taking the scenic route has been good for her.” Korra’s smile was only a little forced, and Kya smiled back. 

“Thanks for telling me,” she said. “I’m sure I would have put my foot in my mouth, otherwise. I promise I won’t mention it.” 

Korra wrapped an arm around her shoulders. 

“Atta girl. Now where’s this tea we’ve been promised?” 

The heaviness that had settled over the room seemed to dissipate—Kya supposed she was the only person who hadn’t known about Lin’s past, for everyone else it was old news, just another aspect of their Captain. 

“Uh,” Kya floundered for a moment. “I think the water should be cool enough to brew it by now.” 

“Aren’t you meant to make tea with _hot_ water?” Bolin asked, and Kya shook her head. 

“The water’s still pretty hot, just not boiling, otherwise you’ll scald the leaves,” she told him as she bent the water from the pot on the stove to the teapot that waited on the side. The old teapot groaned, and Kya winced. “It’s a little bit more effort, and you have to wait for it, go gently, but the tea is _so_ worth it, I promise.” 

“Sounds like someone we know,” Korra said softly. 

When the tea was brewed and handed out, the kitchen was full of sweet-smelling steam. Kya took a moment to savour the aroma, holding her own cup beneath her nose and letting the scent calm her, centre her. 

“Hey Kya,” Bolin called from the other end of the kitchen. “This tea is like… _impeccable,_ bro.” 

A general murmur of agreement rippled through the room, and Asami bumped her hip gently against Kya’s. 

“I think you’re gonna do just fine with us, rookie.” 

* * *

**Jasmine Sencha: for comfort and calm**

Kya’s first practice was awful. Her second was worse. She was quick, and her shots were accurate, but none of that mattered when—

“Ice? _Again,_ Kya?” Lin yelled from the side of the ring. Kya let the wall she’d just erected in front of her fall, splattering the ring with water. “What is _wrong_ with you?”

“I’m sorry—” she started, but Lin wasn’t done. 

“You know if you do this in a game we’re screwed, right?” Kya nodded, and Lin took a deep breath, holding the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. “Extra practice, tomorrow morning, four am.” 

She heard the rest of the team hiss in sympathy, but Kya only nodded again. 

“I’m benching you for the rest of practice. Keep your eye on Korra, watch how she dodges.” 

Kya watched Korra for the rest of training, though it didn’t really help. She _knew_ how to dodge, and she was fine when it was water coming her way, but with earth, with _fire,_ Kya froze. Literally. 

She dragged herself back to the house, collapsing into bed far earlier than usual. It felt as though she’d barely slept when Lin rapped on her door the next morning. She groaned a response and flopped out of bed; the sky outside was still dark, and the floor was cold against her bare feet. 

“We’re leaving in twenty,” came Lin’s muffled voice, and Kya felt all her anxieties rush back. It was going to be a hard morning. She forced herself out of bed as fast as she could, dressed, and crept down to the kitchen. A pot of jasmine sencha didn’t take long to brew, so she had time—just. She was just screwing the lid onto her flask when Lin poked her head into the kitchen; she looked grumpy, but then she always looked grumpy, so maybe Kya wasn’t late. 

“You ready?” 

“Yep.”

“Let’s go.” 

It was strange to see the ring in darkness, though Kya imagined that it would be quite something to watch dawn break through the great glass ceiling. It was oddly peaceful when they entered, but not for long. 

“I’m going to send these at you, and you’re going to dodge them,” Lin said, drawing up a tower of earthen discs from the opening at her feet. “No ice. Remember, pro-bending is about adapting. It’s about using your body and your bending in ways that people don’t expect. You’re quick, and you’re smart. Remember that.” 

Kya nodded, and braced herself for the onslaught. She managed to dodge the first couple of shots, but all too soon, she felt herself beginning to tense. Ringing laughter echoed through her head, and with it the feeling of panic. There was a clay disc coming towards her, and Kya knew she should dodge it, but she couldn’t move, she couldn’t _think._ She squeezed her eyes shut, and when she opened them again, the disc was suspended in mid-air, caught in the ice that rose from the grates on the ring floor. 

“Seriously, Kya?” Lin snapped. “You dodged those first two fine. I don’t see why you can’t—” 

“Because I’m _scared,_ ” Kya cried, her voice echoing through the empty stadium. Lin stared back at her, eyebrows raised in shock. 

“They’re just rocks, Kya. What is there to be afraid of?” 

Kya felt her knees begin to wobble, and she dropped to the ring floor. Lin approached warily, and sat down cross legged in front of her. They sat for a long moment in silence; Lin didn’t ask again, and Kya was thankful for it. Eventually, she took a deep breath:

“You know I’m from the Fire Nation, right?” Kya began, and Lin nodded. “Well, things are getting better there, but there’s still a fair amount of people who believe in all that supremacy bullshit. Even some of the earthbenders who came over from the colonies. Some of the kids at school really didn’t care that I was half Fire Nation; I was a waterbender, so I was… I don’t know—lesser, I was a savage.” Kya fiddled with the hem of her shirt; it was a habit she’d picked up as a child, and she _hated_ that she was doing it now, in front of Lin. She didn’t look up as she spoke, just concentrated on the way the material wound and unwound around her fingers. “It didn’t help that my parents are kind of a big deal, politically. They’ve been pressuring the government to include proper education in schools, stuff that covers the real atrocities the Fire Nation committed in the war, and there’s been a big push for more reparations to be paid.” Kya felt like she was talking too much. Lin hadn’t asked for her whole life story, but it was pouring out of her all the same. “So not only was I the only waterbender at my school, I was the daughter of an upjumped peasant from the Southern Water Tribe who thought she could tell them how their country should be run. I could never _tell_ them about it either because… honestly my Mom probably would have flooded the entire school, and that would have only made things worse. Long story short, I suffered a lot of ‘accidental’ burns when I was a kid. Got hit by a few rocks, as well. It’s made me pretty jumpy.” 

Kya finally looked up, and to her surprise, Lin didn’t look pitying, or uncomfortable. She looked _angry,_ and Kya was suddenly acutely aware that this was not a woman that anyone should want to cross. 

“That’s—Kya I’m so sorry those assholes did that to you,” she said, and Kya didn’t know why she suddenly felt like crying. “It’s fucked up, and you should never have had to deal with it, but you did and now…” 

“What?” 

“Why are you _here_ , Kya?” Lin said softly. “If it brings back such bad memories, why are you here?” 

It was a good question, one that Kya had never really asked herself in the recent weeks, and yet the answer came bubbling readily to her lips all the same. 

“I—before she met my Dad, my Mom spent so many years campaigning for women’s right to learn combat bending as well as healing,” Kya explained. “Women of the Water Tribes adore her, they _revere_ her, she’s the reason why they have so many more opportunities now and I know she’s my Mom so I’m biased but I think she’s the best person I’ve ever known. It feels like… like I’d be spitting in the face of her legacy, like I’d be throwing away everything she worked so hard for if I never learned to fight. I know Dad worries about me too; I just want to show them I can take care of myself. I want them to be proud of me.” 

“Can’t say I’m not familiar with the feeling,” Lin said. She was clearly uncomfortable with the direction this training session had taken, her shoulders tight as she reached out to lay a hand on Kya’s arm. “It’s why I’ve been so hard on you. I’ll try—I’ll try to be less… abrasive about it from now on. You _do_ need to get over this block, though, and for that I need you to _want_ to be here.” 

“I do!” Kya insisted, only slightly surprised to find she was telling the truth. She enjoyed the sport and camaraderie of the team. It would be a challenge, she knew that, but she was her mother’s daughter in many ways, and she would never back down from a challenge. “I do want to be here. I want to get better.” Lin frowned at her for a long minute, before she nodded. 

“Alright. Get up. Let’s go again.” 

“Wait just—one second.” Kya sprung up to retrieve her flask from her bag at the side of the ring. 

“Is that—did you bring _tea_ to practice?” Lin said, incredulous. 

“It’s the tea I used to drink with my uncle,” Kya explained. “The smell reminds me of his shop and it just… it makes me feel safe. I thought if I drank some before we try again, maybe I’d feel more centered, more calm.” 

Lin pinched the bridge of her nose again, but said, 

“I suppose it couldn’t possibly hurt.” 

“Thanks, Cap!” Kya grinned as she unscrewed the lid of her flask. The smell of the steam that wafted out was enough to make her relax. “Hey, you want some of this?” She held out the flask to Lin, who eyed it warily. 

“No thanks. You’ve got ten minutes to drink that and get centered or whatever before we start again.” 

“You got it!” 

Lin sighed. 

* * *

**Blackberry Sugina: for injuries.**

The crowd let out a shocked “ooooh” as the earthen disc broke apart in mid air. It was a dirty move, and everyone knew it—sending two discs at a time so that the second collided with the first, shattering it—but by the time the ref blew the whistle, it was too late. The intact disc hit Lin’s shoulder with a sickening _crunch,_ while a fragment of the shattered one sliced through the small piece of exposed skin below her eye. The ref blew a whistle as Lin staggered back. 

“Medic!” he yelled, and Lin growled, 

“No!” 

Kya and Mako exchanged a frightened look. If Lin had to be taken out of the ring, she couldn’t come back. They were tied in the final round—Korra’s team had made short work of their opponents, while Eska’s had fought hard, but lost in the last few seconds—and they _needed_ this win; if they lost because of her injury, Kya knew Lin would never forgive herself. She couldn’t continue playing, though, not in the state she was in. 

“Time out?” Kya asked the ref, who nodded begrudgingly. 

“Five minutes.” 

Kya and Mako sprinted across the ring to where Lin was barely holding herself upright, clutching her shoulder with her good arm. 

“I’m _fine,_ ” she insisted. 

“No, you’re not.” Kya pried Lin’s hand away from her shoulder as Mako tried to convince her that Bolin or Wu should take her place. It was difficult to tell beneath her armour, but something was _very_ wrong with Lin’s shoulder, but it wasn’t beyond her own skill to heal. What had Lin told her at practice? Pro bending was about adapting, about using your body and your bending in ways that people didn’t expect. 

“Hey ref!” she called up to the box, and the little man squinted back down at her. “She’s only out of the game if the medics have to take her out of the ring, right?” The ref nodded, confused, and Kya grinned. 

“Right.” She summoned a handful of water and let it encase her hand completely. She took a deep, calming breath, and the water began to glow. 

“Hold still,” she told Lin, placing her hand over Lin’s shoulder, allowing the water to seep below the armour to find the injury. The muscle was badly torn, but Kya closed her eyes and concentrated on that spot; she could see the muscle knit back together in her mind’s eye, and heard Lin groan as the healing process was accelerated within her. 

Kya took her hand away, and Lin stared at her, utterly dumbfounded. 

“Better?” Kya asked. 

Lin rolled her shoulder, wincing slightly. 

“Better,” she said. 

“Good, now take your helmet off.” 

Lin obeyed her dumbly, and Kya took a moment to relish the moment—she doubted it would ever happen again. 

The cut to Lin’s face was easier to heal, and it only took a few seconds for the water at Kya’s fingertips to close the wound. Her hand lingered for just a second, smoothing over the freshly healed skin of Lin’s cheekbone. 

“Thanks,” breathed Lin. 

“You ready to kick some ass?” Kya asked, and Lin grinned. 

“Oh, yeah.” 

With renewed fervour and the penalty the other team had incurred for their under-handed play, Kya, Mako, and Lin made short work of the rest of the game. The elation of their win, of moving up to the quarter final, carried them through the wild celebration that Korra and Bolin had orchestrated back at the house. It had been an exhausting day, though, and Kya wasn’t surprised to see Lin slip away from the festivities at just past ten o’clock. 

She slipped into the kitchen, where people were milling about—already impressively drunk despite the relatively early hour—and turned on the stove. 

Luckily, she managed to remain undisturbed as she added the sugina to the pot, and stirred it once. She didn’t love the taste of sugina on it’s own, so she fished out some blackberry powder from the cupboard and added that in. Finally she poured out the mixture and added a spoonful of honey. 

With the hot tea cradled between her palms, she navigated the minefield of the living space, narrowly avoiding being bumped by people in varying states of drunkenness. Stepping over a couple who were passionately kissing at the top of the stairs, she reached the door to Lin’s room, and knocked. 

“Bathroom’s down the hall,” Lin shouted from inside, and Kya opened the door. 

“It’s me.” 

“Oh.” 

Kya had forgotten how arresting she found Lin in her soft sleep shorts and cotton tank. Unlike Korra, Lin was not one for parading around the house in her underwear, and it was rare to see Lin less than completely put together. The look softened her, and it was easy for Kya to proffer the cup in her hands. 

“I made you some tea.” 

“Oh.” Lin said again, looking at the cup suspiciously. It was oddly adorable. 

“I’m not taking no for an answer this evening, Ms Beifong,” Kya said. “It’s medicinal. My healing won’t have sorted out that shoulder completely, and this will do wonders for the swelling. Drink it.” 

Lin reached out and took the cup from Kya’s hands. Kya crossed her arms. 

“I’m not leaving until you drink some.” 

Lin rolled her eyes, but took a tentative sip. Kya watched her throat bob as she swallowed. 

“It’s good.” 

Kya resisted the urge to crow in victory, settling for a smug smile before she turned to leave. 

“Hey Kya?” Lin said as Kya reached the door. 

“Yeah?” 

“Thanks… for everything today. You’re really—you’re—you’re a valued part of the team.” A delicate blush painted Lin’s cheeks, and _oh_ , Kya was going to make _so_ much tea for this girl. 

“You’re welcome, Lin.” 

* * *

**Matcha: for a gift**

“Are you ready?” Lin asked, and Kya shivered as she felt Lin’s breath on the side of her neck. The soft material of the blindfold didn’t feel unpleasant, but her lack of vision disoriented her. 

Kya _thought_ she was in the kitchen, but she honestly couldn’t tell. When the team had ambushed her in her room and told her they were taking her to her birthday present, the blindfold had been wrapped around her eyes before she could protest. The team had proceeded to lift her bodily from the bed and carry her downstairs, which was far from the most dignified moment of Kya’s life. 

She could feel Lin’s fingers working the knot on the back of her blindfold, before gently pulling the material away. Kya blinked, taking in the sight before her. A large, clay teapot stood in the centre of the kitchen table, glazed a beautiful ocean blue. 

“We thought you deserved something nice to make tea in,” said Asami. “That old pot had been here since before any of us can remember.” 

“It’s beautiful,” breathed Kya, and to her embarrassment, tears began to prick at her eyes. “Thank you all so much.” She moved to examine the teapot, and while Kya was not her uncle, she knew a thing or two about teapots, and this one must have been _expensive._ “I’ve got some matcha upstairs, I’ll have to go get it. Uncle says that whenever you get a new teapot, you ought to make matcha in it first. I don’t know why, but that’s what he says, so—oh _thank you_ this is… this is amazing.” 

“It was Lin’s idea,” said Korra, and Kya looked up to see a fierce blush creeping over Lin’s cheeks. 

“Maybe, but everyone chipped in. We chose the style together, and—mmph.” 

Kya threw her arms around Lin’s chest, squeezing her tightly. She felt Lin tense, before slowly bringing her own arms up to hug Kya gently in return. Kya shamelessly nuzzled her face against Lin’s shoulder; she smelled of earth and pine. 

“TEAM HUG!” Bolin yelled, and soon Kya was buried beneath her teammates. She could feel Lin’s heartbeat against her own chest, and Kya let her cup of happiness overflow. 

* * *

**Kuzu & Cinnamon: for hangovers**

The morning air was still as Kya picked her way through the sleeping bodies. Soft yellow light was streaming through the kitchen windows, catching the steam from the boiling kettle on the stove. Kya felt almost as if she was floating through the morning, replaying the memory of their victory over and over again. She recalled the way Lin’s eyes had widened as she looked at the empty ring before her, the sound of their opponents’ bodies hitting the water entirely drowned out by the announcer declaring it a knockout, naming them the Champions. The celebration had gone on long into the small hours, and after the raucous merriment of the previous night, the quiet of the morning seemed almost sacred. 

“COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO MOTHERFUCKERS!” 

Korra’s voice boomed down from the top of the stairs, amplified by the large megaphone in her hand, and the carpet of no-longer-sleeping students groaned as one. Despite the regrettable volume—or perhaps because of it—Korra was surprisingly efficient at ridding the house of anyone not on the pro-bending team. They staggered to their feet, patting pockets and grabbing coats seemingly at random from the rack, and were herded out of the door within half an hour, taking most of the rubbish with them. 

“Balance restored.” Korra grinned as she slammed the door behind the last of the stragglers. Everyone winced. 

“Jar!” called Mako, from where he sat at the kitchen table, head cradled in his hands. 

“Oh come on, that’s not a jar offence!” Korra grumbled, and Kya smiled as she stirred kuzu powder into her simmering pot of hot water. 

She let their good-natured bickering wash over her as more team members trickled into the kitchen, lured by the sweet smell of the simmering pot. Kya dropped in a stick of cinnamon. 

“There she is!” 

“Woman of the hour!”

“How does it feel to be such a huge fucking deal, Ms Beifong?” 

Kya jumped at the sudden increase in activity, and whirled around to see Lin—looking a little tired, but considerably better than her team-mates—get pulled into one of Korra’s more aggressive hugs. Lin protested as the rest of the team all piled on, but the joy of the moment was infectious. They’d really done it, they’d really _won_ the championship, and next year Lin would be playing for the Badgermoles. 

Next year Lin would be gone. 

Kya busied herself with the tea again, fishing out the cinnamon and turning off the stove. 

“Is that arrowroot?” came a soft voice from behind her. 

“Best hangover cure I know,” she replied cheerily, pouring the mixture into cups. If she looked up at Lin, Kya was afraid she might cry, and she wasn’t sure she could handle that kind of embarrassment this early in the morning. “Though I’m not sure what you’re sniffing around for. I know you don’t drink.” 

“Yeah,” Lin agreed, sounding slightly crestfallen. “But Mom used to give it to me when I was little and I had a cold. Sometimes I’d fake a cough just so I could have some; she definitely knew what I was up to, but she gave it to me anyway.” 

Kya finally turned to look at Lin. Rumpled from sleep, and bathed in honey-gold morning light, Kya couldn’t have denied her anything. She passed Lin a cup. 

“You’d better not forget about me when you’re a famous hotshot pro-bender,” she joked, voice only wavering slightly. Lin chuckled quietly. 

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” She wrapped her palms around the cup and took a sip, closing her eyes as she savoured the taste. A bright, unguarded smile spread across Lin’s lips as she said, “it’s even better than I remember.” 

Kya glowed at the praise, and the rare gift of Lin’s smile. 

“Hey Cap! Quit hogging Kya, I need some _tea_ or I’m going to _die._ ” Wu collapsed dramatically onto the table, and Mako elbowed him in the side. 

“Please excuse me, Ms Beifong,” Kya said. “My fans are waiting.” 

* * *

**Sakura: for celebration**

Kya had collected the cherry blossoms the previous spring, just after she’d learned of her acceptance to Republic City University. Though she would never admit it to her parents, Kya ached to leave home, to go to the city and meet new people, to get out of the Fire Nation. Still, that didn’t mean there was nothing she would miss about her home; the cherry tree in their garden had bloomed and dropped its blossom every spring that Kya could remember, and every spring, she and Uncle Iroh had collected the blossoms to salt and pickle and keep until the following year. 

She’d hoarded the supply they made before she left, saving it for a special occasion, for a celebration. Today was certainly a celebration: Lin was graduating and moving on to the real pro-bending leagues, but Kya was making Sakura alone. She’d slipped away from the party early, unable to say a real goodbye. Tears slid down her face, and Kya thought absently that Sakura had been a good choice—it didn’t matter if a little salt got in, because that was how the tea was supposed to be. 

“Kya?” 

She whipped around, hands scrambling to wipe away her tears, to see Lin standing in the doorway. 

“What—what are you doing here?” Kya sniffled, “You should—should be off celebrating with—” 

“You didn’t say goodbye.” Lin was breathing heavily, as if she’d run all the way from the main building, and Kya’s heart stuttered in her chest. Before she could reply, Lin had crossed the kitchen in a few long strides; she cradled Kya’s jaw in her hand, and pulled her in for a kiss. Kya let out a little squeak of shock before her eyes fluttered closed, and she melted into the embrace. Her hands came up to grip Lin’s graduation robe, and Lin’s arm snaked around Kya’s waist, holding her close. Kya spared half a thought for how wet her face must be, but she couldn’t concentrate on anything but the feeling of Lin’s lips on hers, the strength of Lin’s arms around her. She felt like she was floating: this was better than winning a match, better than sweet wine, better than cool water against her skin. 

Eventually, reluctantly, they broke apart, and Lin wiped the last of the tears from Kya’s cheek. 

“Do you—” Kya whispered, “—do you have time for a cup of tea?” 

Lin kissed her again, and Kya could feel her smile against her lips. 

“Yeah. Yeah, I’ve got time.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Is this good? I don't know. It's 2am. Goodnight.


End file.
